


The Killing Moon

by fivehorizons



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Ghosts, Haunted Houses, M/M, Mountains, Paranormal, Shapeshifting, ch 1 and 2 are pure intro, high likelihood of hina getting with more guys, im here for hina getting around, in which hina gets doused with hot paranormal boys, skip to ch 3 for sexy times, slightly inspired by ahs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-02 12:25:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5248205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fivehorizons/pseuds/fivehorizons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shouyou is less than ecstatic that his bestselling author of a mom has moved the whole Hinata family into an extravagant cabin stowed deep within a small mountain town. He needs his friends, sunlight, and the busy city life to keep sane. But boredom is the last thing Shouyou encounters in this beautiful hideout. With all the bone-chilling apparitions floating through his new home and the ethereal wolves stalking the forest, Shouyou soon learns life up in the mountains may be exciting-- or terrifying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. People Are Strange

**Author's Note:**

> this is literally the result of me being too invested in american horror story and haikyuu at the same time. also my addiction to certain bands atm may play a role in this story's inception as well.

“ _People are strange when you're a stranger_

 _Faces look ugly when you're alone_ ” - The Doors

* * *

 

The wolves came at dawn. Or maybe it was dusk. After being in a car for a total of thirty hours in the past three days, the hours were a blur to Shouyou.

Though he didn’t know if the slivers of light that broke through the ceiling of branches above signified the beginning or end of day, he was sure that the animals running through the forest were wolves. Shouyou had never seen a wolf before, but he knew. Their lithe, muscled bodies and snow-matted fur coats made him certain of it.

His eyes were bleary and his forehead, which had been leaning against the frosted window in his slumber, throbbed, but the sight of the sprinting beasts dulled any agitation in Shouyou’s body—physical or otherwise.

Seeing the wolves, Shouyou opened his mouth to shout, but when he turned to his family, he found that they were fast asleep. Natsu was curled in a ball in the back seat, her stuffed bunny suffocating in her grip. His mom had reclined the driver’s seat all the way back, and her head lulled to the side so that her bangs dipped into her eyes. Even when sleeping she looked tired. Her bags were like tattoos beneath her amber eyes, and wrinkles still made indents on her skin despite the peace of sleep.

The car had been pulled off the main road; its keys were out of the ignition and hidden from sight—probably in his mom’s pocket. Each Hinata had a blanket, as if they had been prepared to sleep in a car when the weather outside was reaching its winter climax.

Slowly, Shouyou remembered his mom driving in the pitch of night up the mountain path. Snow had begun to fall by the handfuls, and his mom hadn’t felt comfortable driving in it when the only thing guiding her up the steep mountainside was a bumpy road and their weak headlights. Plus, she would’ve had to get out of the heat of the car to put on the chains to continue their upward trek, and there was no way she’d reveal herself to the severe weather outside.

That explained why Shouyou was bundled in a fleece blanket in the passenger seat of his mom’s Honda Civic and why his family was dead asleep even when there was the padding of large paws outside. It also meant that the sunlight he saw was the first of the day, not the last.

Shouyou shifted in his seat so he was on his knees, peering through the icy film veiling the window. He squinted and scoured the base of the trees surrounding the car for the wolves he had seen the moment he first opened his eyes.

For a moment, there was nothing moving in the verdant expanse beyond the Honda Civic. No, it was like nothing _dared_ to move, like every creature, even the trees, were waiting for something to pounce.

Then, a wolf darted into the same clearing the car was parked in, making a straight line for the opposite side.

Shouyou held his breath as the wolf rushed past the car. He thought the creature was going to ignore the vehicle entirely, but just as it passed passenger’s side, it craned its neck so its golden eyes met Shouyou’s head-on.

Shouyou’s stomach twisted into a knot that grew tighter when the wolf froze in its tracks. It didn’t blink as Shouyou continued to stare at the beast.

Up close, Shouyou realized just how big the wolf was. He didn’t know wolves could even get to be that size. It made a Great Dane look miniscule, especially with the creature’s thick winter coat and gleaming canines.

Its coat was parallel to the night, the stray snowflakes on its fur like stars burning against the inky sky. Shouyou expected the wolf to look mangy or haggard but it was absolutely beautiful. He wanted to open the car door and run his fingers through that obsidian coat, to wipe off the stardust from the night sky, to get a closer look at those golden orbs.

Shouyou was so transfixed by the beauty of the wolf that when an owl flew straight into the passenger window, he screamed.

He covered his mouth the second after the noise escaped him, but by then the wolf was already sprinting away, chasing after the distorted owl in flight, and his mom was grabbing him by the shoulder.

“Shouyou, are you alright?” she asked as she spun her son around so she could look into his face.

“Y-yeah,” he said, a little breathlessly. Though his mom’s face was in front of him, he was still picturing the wolf.

“What happened?”

“Just, uh, I saw something outside.” He didn’t think his mom would take it well that he was having a stare-down with a wolf three times his weight.

From the backseat, Natsu whined, “Nii-chan’s too loud. I was having a nice dream.”

Shouyou’s mom searched his face one last time before letting go. She rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her palms.

“Well, I guess since we’re all awake now we can finish the drive. It’s not snowing anymore and someone already came by to clear the road.” His mom fished the keys from the cup-holder. _So that’s where they were_ , Shouyou thought to himself.

As she turned the key over in the ignition, she continued, “I think we’re only an hour away.”

“Yay!” Natsu exclaimed, forgetting about her poor, interrupted dream.

The car started moving back onto the single-lane road, and Shouyou leaned his head back.

He wished he could mimic Natsu’s joy in the family move, but no such feat was possible. He had liked his hometown more than enough. It was populated and bustling, exactly what an energetic young man like him needed. There were countless ways for him to spend the day, several people he could talk the ears off of. But where they were going, there was silence. Well, that’s what Shouyou presumed since the town’s population was a measly 541 people—544 once the Hinata family made it there. Not that three people would make a difference when the town was buried in the depths of the mountains. Shouyou had to leave behind everything to move up here. His school, his friends, his house, all of it gone because his mom had needed a change in lifestyle, and the world surrounding her hundreds of miles away from the mountains did nothing to inspire her writing.

Four years ago, Shouyou’s mom had had her book published. No one anticipated that it would be a huge hit, and by huge, that meant international bestseller, winner of literary prizes, the whole shebang. Within a year of the book’s release, Shouyou’s mom had gone from a single-mom and waitress to bestselling author.

While her novel was a standalone, the world was waiting for another book written by her pen. Shouyou knew firsthand just how hard his mom was trying to give everyone something as equally beautiful and special as her first book, but whatever had inspired her writing had fled. She had decided that chasing inspiration down was her last resort, and she was dragging her children along with her in her quest.

Which was what was bringing the Hinata family closer and closer to Lake Astra—their new home for who knew how long.

Shouyou ran his fingers through his sweatshirt pocket and found his headphones twisted around his phone. As he untangled them, he announced, “I’m going back to sleep.”

“Please try not to scream again,” was the last thing Shouyou heard before jamming in his headphones.

His music was still playing from whenever he had last been listening. The song was fitting for what he was attempting to do: _Asleep_ by The Smiths. Morrissey's melodramatic voice entered his ears, and he immediately found his eyes growing heavy.

But when he finally did allow his eyes to fall close, he saw the black wolf standing on the snow-packed earth. Its golden eyes were still fixated on him, as if it baiting Shouyou to approach it. Those eyes were so bright not only with color but intelligence. It had seen Shouyou, had registered him even when tucked away inside a Honda Civic. Smart, beautiful, alluring. Shouyou had never given much thought to what animal he’d want to be but now he realized it: a wolf. He could only hope to be something as awe-inspiring as that creature he saw in the clearing.

With that in mind, he fell asleep for the final stretch of the journey to his new home.

* * *

 

“It’s a castle!” Natsu exclaimed.

While Shouyou couldn’t relate to her overwhelming excitement, he could agree with the statement. This house was a serious improvement from the last. That wasn’t saying that Shouyou hadn’t liked his old home, but it had been a simplistic structure. One-story, just enough bedrooms for each Hinata to have their own, and a tiny garden space in the backyard. But this mountain home was extravagant.

“There are seven bedrooms, five baths,” Shouyou’s mom said as she started up the wooden steps leading to the front door. “My room is the one next to the office. You two can pick which will be yours from the rest.”

Shouyou nodded but kept examining the exterior of the house. The garage was on its own level entirely, so the real living area of the house started a floor above ground. There was another floor stacked on top of that. The house’s skin was made of a mixture of wood, stone, and glass.

The chimney on the right side of the house was composed of stone. No smoke spun out of it, but with how cold it was outside, Shouyou wouldn’t be surprised if a fire was started a minute within the Hinatas stepping foot in the house.

A large window sat in the center of the top floor, revealing the glimmering light of a crystal chandelier. Shouyou wondered who had left the light on.

“Ah,” Shouyou’s mom sighed when she reached the door.

Shouyou skipped the next two steps to reach her side. “Is something wrong?”

“The door was already open,” she said, pushing the door back until it slammed into the wall. “The movers must’ve done it. Brr.” She shivered and rubbed her hands together. “I’m going to start the fire.”

“Called it,” Shouyou said under his breath.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

His mom’s lips turned into a half-smile that told him that she had heard him, but she wandered off towards a hallway anyway.

“Take Natsu around the house while I get the fire going.”

“Sure.”

The inside of the house was as equally lovely as its exterior. It hadn’t catered to modern décor and instead maintained the friendly warmth of a rustic home. The living room was on his left hand side, and its far wall was nothing but a large bookshelf, each level filled to capacity. Two leather chairs sat atop a maroon rug in the center of the room. It looked like a cozy place to curl up during snowy days, especially when the wall next to the books held a rectangular window looking out to the driveway.

A warm hand wrapped around Shouyou’s. He peeked down and saw his little sister practically buzzing with joy.

“Let’s go upstairs!”

Shouyou mocked a whine. “Fine.”

Before Natsu could run ahead, he scooped her up in his arms so that she was like a bride and he the groom. He sprinted for the stairs, though he made sure not to be too hasty. If he fell with Natsu in his arms it would end well for no one.

Natsu’s shrill laughter rang in Shouyou’s ears, and he smiled as he ascended the spiral staircase with his little sister bobbing in his arms.

“And we’re here!” he announced as he reached the last step.

Natsu continued to giggle even as Shouyou set her on her feet. She bit her lip, her eyes darting around the second floor. Her eyes wandered up and she tugged on Shouyou’s jeans.

“Look,” she said, pointing up.

Shouyou followed her finger and found it directed at the crystal chandelier he had seen from outside. It was swaying back and forth, as if it had been pushed.

“It’s a ghost,” Natsu whispered.

“Or,” Shouyou said, wrapping his hand around her shoulder, “it’s the wind from outside.” He steered her away from the still moving chandelier.

“Well, I think it’s a ghost,” she said indignantly.

“Well, I think you’re _crazy_ ,” Shouyou taunted.

“Hey! You’re a meanie.”

“You can’t call me a meanie unless you catch me,” Shouyou said before taking off at a halfhearted run down the hallway.

“Wah!” Natsu cried as she chased after Shouyou.

Shouyou laughed as he purposely ran slow so Natsu would have a chance to catch up to him. If he had been really sprinting, Natsu would never see him again.

Shouyou peeked over his shoulder and found Natsu attempting to reach him. He’d lead her on a little longer.

He turned the corner of the hallway and ran straight into a wall.

Shouyou slammed to the floor, clutching his nose, which had taken the worst of the impact.

“Damn it,” he groaned.

“Nii-chan, I got you,” Natsu hollered right before plopping onto his stomach.

While Shouyou heard all the air escape his body, Natsu continued to laugh.

“You’re a meanie _and_ silly,” she went on as Shouyou struggled for breath.

“Silly?” he asked when he was finally able to speak again.

“You tripped.”

“I didn’t trip. There’s a—” Shouyou shifted up and found nothing blocking the hallway in front of him.

“There’s a what?” Natsu searched left and right.

“N-nothing. I guess I just tripped.”

“See! You’re silly.”

She laughed but Shouyou could only weakly duplicate the sound. He felt sick to his stomach and it wasn’t just because Natsu had crushed it. His feet hadn’t gotten tangled and the wooden floor hadn’t shifted beneath him. His body had smacked straight into what felt like a rock hard wall, even though he knew there was no such barrier nearby.

From downstairs, Shouyou’s mom called, “Natsu! Shouyou! Come unload your stuff from the car.”

“Coming,” Natsu yelled back. She cocked her head at Shouyou when he said nothing. “Hurry up.”

“You go on without me,” he waved. “I need to find the bathroom.”

“Okay,” she said warily.

To ease her, Shouyou rustled her hair and smiled. “Now go help Mom.”

“Alright!”

She skipped her way back towards the staircase, but the moment she turned the corner, Shouyou went to his feet.

He felt like an idiot doing it, but he reached his hands forward, not moving his body with him. He grappled for an invisible wall that he knew wasn’t there.

When his hands didn’t hit a solid surface, he muttered, “Weird.”

Assured that he wouldn’t run into a wall, Shouyou continued down the hallway, peeking into the rooms until he found the bathroom. He hadn’t been lying to Natsu about having to go. Something was really upsetting his stomach.

Before taking his seat on the toilet, Shouyou turned on the faucet and rinsed his face with water. Even with the cold outside, his skin was warm, the water even warmer. It made him uncomfortably hot, so he turned the cool water on instead.

Once his face felt chilled rather than flushed, he shut off the water and straightened up—and almost had a heart attack.

In the mirror, in the spot right where it reflected the door, were two figures: one tall, one short but both slender. Their eyes were transfixed on him and their mouths were open, as if they were in the middle of a conversation that Shouyou couldn’t hear. The shock of seeing two unfamiliar forms kept Shouyou from noting any distinct characteristics of them besides their contrasting sizes.

Shouyou spun around, ready to face the intruders with a scream, but there was no one there.

Had they fled?

Shouyou shot out of the bathroom and searched both directions of the hallway. “Hey, come out!”

No answer.

“I saw you,” Shouyou tried again, but his voice was getting weaker.

He tensed, waiting for a whisper or creak to signal the intruders’ lingering presence, but the next noise that came was a yell from his mom downstairs.

“SHOUYOU!”

Shouyou stuffed his hand in his mouth to hold back the scream building in his throat.

He dropped his hand. His heart was like a sledgehammer in his chest.

“I’m com-ing,” he called back, his voice cracking on the last syllable.

Shouyou closed the bathroom door behind him and sprinted for the staircase. As his feet hammered against the wooden floor, he repeated in his head, _I’m tired, that’s it_.

The figures were just figments of his imagination, specters of his own exhaustion. In the back of his mind, he was reminded that he didn’t even feel weary. He had napped the whole way from the clearing to the forested estate.

But he continued to pin his nerves on his exhaustion and the situation as a whole. He was somewhere new, somewhere he didn’t want to be. It only made sense that he was trying to psych himself out and be alarmed by the house.

Without running into a see-through wall or catching the glimpse of contrasting figures in the corner of his eye, Shouyou made it down the stairs and out the front door. The Honda Civic had all of its doors open and was being hollowed out. Natsu had a plastic bag full of discarded candy wrappers in her hands.

“Finally,” his mom exclaimed as he reached the car.

“Sorry.” He heaved the bag over his shoulder. “My stomach kinda hurts.”

“Honey, are you alright?” Before Shouyou could turn away, his mom grabbed him by his cheeks. Like she had done this morning, she examined his face. “Your face is freezing and your pale! You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Told you!” Natsu said, waving a Twix wrapper in victory.

Shouyou’s mom raised her eyebrow in question.

“Natsu made a joke about a ghost making the chandelier move," Shouyou explained.

His mom dropped her hand at once and frowned. In a whisper so Natsu wouldn’t hear, she asked “Did you hear about what happened here?”

Shouyou felt the rest of his body go cold, and it wasn’t because of the winter wind outside.

“No.”

“What are you talking about?” Natsu asked.

“Natsu, dear, I think you cleaned enough. You can go inside and look for your room.”

Her childish ignorance made her smile and rush off without sensing the stiffness that had entered the air between Shouyou and his mom.

“What happened here?” Shouyou asked when Natsu was completely inside the house.

His mom stepped aside and patted to the trunk. “Take a seat.”

Shouyou really didn’t like where this was going but sat on the edge of the car. His mom joined him. She rubbed her hands together and blew on them once before starting.

“The last time this cabin was used it was for a group of boys on fall break. They rented it out for a week. I wasn’t given details but one of the boys had gone onto the roof to fix some tiles. The ice must've been slippery because he lost his footing and…” His mom scratched at her throat, unable to finish the story. “All I want to tell you is that this house may not have a good reputation, but I don’t want you encouraging Natsu’s ghost fantasies. This house is beautiful and perfect. It’s the best place for me to write.”

Shouyou was nauseated by this new information. Someone had died while at this house—a boy. Shouyou wondered how old he was. The figures he had seen hadn’t appeared too old.

 _But the figures weren’t real!_ he reminded himself.

“I won’t mention anything to Natsu,” Shouyou said.

His mom leaned over and planted a kiss on her son’s brow. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his. “You’re a good sport, you know that, right? I know you don’t want to be here and it wasn’t fair for me to force you to come. You’re the best son I could ask for.”

Shouyou smiled up at his mom. “It was nothing. You’re a pretty awesome mom yourself. And a good writer.”

She returned his smile. “You deserve a treat for being so wonderful. Go into town by yourself tomorrow. I’ll give you enough money for the day. Make some friends, explore the area.”

“What about Natsu?”

“I’ll take care of her. You deserve a day to yourself.” His mom detached herself from her son and stood up. She touched her fingers to his cheek. “I love you, Shouyou.”

“Love you too.”

His mom dragged her bags behind her as she made way for the house, but Shouyou stayed sitting on the car. His stomach was still rolling from everything that had happened inside the house on top of the story of the boy.

When he finally did get up, he searched the roof of the house. He wondered where the boy had been standing, what had caused him to fall. Had he ran into invisible walls, too? Had he hallucinated figures, too?

Shouyou slapped his hands against his cheeks. Hard. He had to get rid of all the bullshit about ghosts and dying teenagers. If not, he’d really go crazy inside that house, and he’d only been at Lake Astra for twenty minutes.

He needed a distraction, and he was surprised by how easily he found one.

It was the wolf. Shouyou closed his eyes and replaced the sight of the house with the wolf. Its black coat was absent of snow this time he pictured it, and its golden eyes were even sharper, more knowing. It looked directly at Shouyou but made no effort to attack. All it ever did was stare, but that was exactly what Shouyou needed. Those eyes eased the thundering of his heart. Its shiny coat comforted him almost as much as one of Natsu’s hugs.

Shouyou let out a long exhale and opened his eyes. The house was still there. No wolf in sight, but as long as it was in Shouyou’s mind, he’d be fine. He’d make it through his time at Lake Astra.

He gathered as many bags as he could in his arms and returned to the house that’d he later learn was infamous in town. It was an omen of death, heartache, and mystery, and Shouyou—like every other resident at the house—was due to experience these for himself.


	2. Sinister Kid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for the sake of this AU Hinata is a 2nd year btw

“ _Well, the crooks are out_

_And the streets are gray_

_You know I wouldn't have it_

_Any other way_ ” – The Black Keys

* * *

 

Shit, shit, shitty shit.

Shouyou got lost so often it had to be a talent. Even when his mom wrote him explicit directions on what paths to follow in order to end up in the main part of the town, he found himself in some unfamiliar area. Well, everything in Lake Astra was unfamiliar but where he stood felt especially alien.

He had been sure that he had made the correct turn at the trailhead a quarter of a mile from his house. The trailhead had offered three options: left, right, and straight. He had gone left, just as the sketch his mom had made for him read. He didn’t know where he had gone wrong after that but he had yet to see a well that signified the right turn that was supposed to lead him directly into town.

Turning left at the trailhead had taken Shouyou off the paved road and onto a dirt path. On his left and right, towering redwoods stood wide and tall. Their rustic brown branches were unfathomably far from the ground. Shouyou was a little disappointed; he liked climbing trees.

Only a thin layer of snow remained from the snowstorm two nights ago, and Shouyou’s hiking boots trampled through it with ease. It was his first time wearing the boots. They had been purchased by his mom days after she’d decided on the move. He actually liked the feel of them crushing the bits of ice into rubble, but he knew he’d be longing for the freedom of sandals soon enough.

Shouyou was so preoccupied with his boots that he didn’t see the sign ahead of him until it hit him straight in the thigh.

He howled and backed up a step. The whole width of the path was blocked off by a metal barrier. At the center of it was a rusted sign:

CLOSED FOR THE WINTER

NO TRESPASSING

BEWARE OF

Whatever Shouyou was supposed to beware of had been scratched out by a knife. He didn’t know whether to be relieved by the mystery or hesitant. He decided to be relieved. It wasn’t like he was going to forsake the warning of the sign and continue onto the dirt path to only face whatever creatures lay beyond.

But then where was he supposed to go?

He lifted up the map and scrutinized it for some indication of where he had fucked up.

Left at the trailhead? Check. Past the dilapidated outhouse on the side of the path? Check. Stay right when the path got windy? Che—wait.

Shouyou spun from the barrier and sprinted back in the direction he had come. That had to be his mistake. He didn’t remember there being a split in the path after the outhouse. Maybe he had just missed it. He had done stupid things like that plenty of times.

“Are you lost?”

Shouyou dug his durable shoes into the snow to slow him down. He almost slipped but was able to catch himself against a broken tree branch that hung low enough for him to grab.

He chased his head after the voice and was shocked to find a figure sitting on top the trunk of a mowed down tree. The trunk was wide enough to fit his crossed legs, but he wasn’t that big of a person to begin with.

He hadn’t looked up to talk to Shouyou. He was too focused on a portable game console.

“Yes!” Shouyou exclaimed. He jogged over to the boy so he loomed over him. “How could you tell?”

“My parents said a family was moving in next door. Most people get lost trying to find their way around here.” The boy spared a moment to flick his eyes up at Shouyou. He had beautiful eyes. Topaz and exceptionally large. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

Shouyou examined the surrounding trees. “Aren’t you alone?”

“I know this place better than any human.”

It kind of unnerved Shouyou how he’d said that. Any human.

“I’m Hinata Shouyou,” Shouyou said.

“Kenma.”

“So you’re my neighbor? That’s funny ‘cause I didn’t see any houses next to ours.”

“We live a quarter mile away from you.”

Shouyou raised an eyebrow. “Does that make us actual neighbors?”

“We’re the house closest to yours so I guess. Unless you don’t want to have neighbors.”

“No, no,” Shouyou rushed. “I’ll take whatever friends I can get up here.”

Kenma jolted at the word—friends. He finally tore his eyes from his game completely.

“Where do you need to go?”

“Into town.” Shouyou laughed as he added, “Where else is there to go?”

“Lots of places, but getting into town is the easiest.”

Shouyou scratched the back of his head. “Uh, well, I’ve never been that good with directions.”

“Up here, you might want to be.” He didn’t elaborate any more than that.

Kenma slowly put his game away and got up from the stump. “I’ll show you into town myself. I’m supposed to meet someone today.”

“Thanks!” Shouyou beamed.

Kenma shrugged. “It’s nothing. But pay attention.”

Shouyou nodded and closely watched Kenma’s movements for all of a minute.

They had gone backwards, away from the metal barrier and sign. The path was starting to get curvy again, and sure enough there was a split this time around.

When they amended Shouyou’s previous mistake, he stopped caring that much about his miserable sense of direction.

“How long have you lived here?” Shouyou asked.

“Since I was two.”

“Do you like it?”

“I guess.”

“Are there any places in town that sell good pork buns?”

“Maybe.” Kenma shrugged again. “I don’t go into town too often.”

“Well, if I find a good place in town I’ll buy you the best pork bun there to thank you for saving me.”

“I told you, this is nothing. You don’t need to give me a pork bun.”

“It’s the least I can do. Really!”

Kenma huffed but said nothing more.

The two proceeded in silence until the well came in sight.

Shouyou had expected the well to be some ways off the path. That would’ve made sense. But the well sat dead center of the path ahead, totally obstructing it.

As the pair approached it, Shouyou muttered, “That’s inconvenient.”

“The well was here before the path. Plus, it’s a good landmark for finding the town.”

Shouyou knew the latter was true. His mom’s directions told him that much. As for the first part—

“How old is the well then?”

“Hundred years or so.”

Shouyou’s eyes widened. “What about the town?”

“A little after that.” Kenma scraped his eyes over the well and shook. Shouyou figured it was from the cold. “Let’s turn now.”

Kenma started for the right, but Shouyou sprinted forward. “Wait! I wanna check this out.”

In the center of the stones upholding the well, there hung a plaque. Unlike the cheap sign on the metal barrier, this one wasn’t damaged. If anything, it looked freshly polished.

IN MEMORY OF OIKAWA TOORU

1895-1915

HE LABORED FOR THOSE HE LOST

BUT WAS LOST TO LABOR FOR THOSE HERE

Shouyou had no clue what that was supposed to mean. The few gravestones he had seen before were more or less the same: ‘Here lies blah, Born this year, Died that year.’ Sometimes there was a religious quote, others what the person was to others: ‘Father, Daughter, Uncle, etc.’ But this was so cryptic Shouyou couldn’t figure out the last two lines.

He crouched so his face was even with the plaque. He ran his fingers over the lettering. It seriously looked like this thing was cleaned on a regular basis.

When he stood up, he noticed there was no bucket to gather water with.

“Oi, Kenma, is there any water in here?”

Kenma didn’t respond right away, so Shouyou placed his palms on the edge of the well and lifted his body so his toes were no longer touching the ground. He leaned forward and peered down, searching for a trace of water. There had to be some with how much it snowed and rained up here.

“What are you doing?” It was the loudest Kenma had spoken, but it wasn’t quite a shout. However, there was a panic straining his otherwise even voice.

Kenma’s slender arms came around Shouyou’s torso, and he tugged him away from the well.

Once away from the mouth of the well, Shouyou squirmed out of Kenma’s grip and spun to face him. “What’s wrong?”

Kenma was huffing, and he immediately tucked his arms into his sweatshirt pocket. He took a step away from Shouyou and looked to the ground.

“Just stay away from that well.” He went back towards the trailhead pointing right. “Come on. We’re not too far away from the town.”

Shouyou had no choice but to follow his guide. Before being totally engulfed by the trees lining this new path, he stole one last peek at the well.

He almost tripped over his feet when he saw a bouquet of red roses at the foot of the well, right beneath the plaque. He didn’t remember seeing those there, and with how deep their hue was, he wasn’t quite sure how he could’ve missed such a thing.

He rolled his bottom lip around with his teeth and sprinted to catch up to Kenma. There were too many weird things happening at Lake Astra. On top of yesterday’s move-in and this well/grave crap, last night, after having soup for dinner, Shouyou was charged with washing dishes. In the middle of his work, he felt a chill run down his spine, and the next thing he knew, a drying ceramic bowl shattered. None of the larger shards had caught him, but he had a few small cuts on his right arm. He still couldn’t figure out what had caused the bowl to combust, so he had taken all the blame from his mom.

In one of his many attempts of optimism, Shouyou told himself that the town wouldn’t hold any creepiness. It would be full of people and sensible happenings—no invisible walls to run into, no spontaneous shattering of bowls, and no roses appearing at random. Everything there would make sense, even when so many things Shouyou had already encountered in Lake Astra didn’t.

* * *

 

“Wait for me here,” Kenma order.

Shouyou pouted. “Why can’t I go with you?”

“You wouldn’t have any fun.”

Of all the places in town Kenma could’ve abandoned him, this was one of the better ones. It sure as hell beat the cigar shop or the gun shack. Nothing said ‘Welcome to Your New Home’ like a pizza shop—arcade included.

As Shouyou had hoped, the town wasn’t desolated. People were found wandering up and down the streets. It was winter break so guys and girls around his age weren’t all that hard to spot. There was a group of guys in the corner of the pizza shop that were staring at him. He hoped that was a good thing.

“How long will you be gone?”

“Long enough for you to have a slice of Ushiwaka’s special pizza and play a few games. They have an old Galaga in the arcade. It’s my favorite.”

“Okay,” Shouyou said weakly. “Have fun wherever you’re going.”

“I’ll try.”

Then Kenma was out the door, bringing with his departure a rush of icy wind.

Shouyou wandered to the counter of the pizza shop. It was 11:30 and the lunch rush had yet to hit with full force. Only half of the tables in the shop were full, and the line to order was two people long.

When Shouyou made it to the front, he found a towering young man running the register. His whole body was defined—the edges of his face were sharp, and the muscles beneath his work shirt were sculpted.

Shouyou felt like the guy could crush his skull with his bare hands.

“Welcome to Ushijima Pizzeria,” he said. “How can I help you?”

“Uh, the Ushiwaka special, please?”

The worker raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you new in town?”

“I—uh—how could you tell?” It was like Shouyou was wearing a pin warning everyone in sight that he was new.

“Everyone comes here, but I’ve never seen you before. My dad also mentioned something about newcomers moving into the house up the hill.”

‘The hill’. Nothing was just a hill here. Everything was a fucking mountain.

“Are newbies not allowed to have the Ushiwaka special?” Shouyou asked.

“No, it’s just interesting that you know about it already. Since it’s your first time I’ll give you a discount.”

“Wait—”

The worker hammered on the cash register before the total came out on the screen. 185 yen.

As Shouyou fished the money his mom gave him from his pocket the worker slid a medium fountain drink in his direction. “The special comes with a drink.”

Shouyou’s jaw went slack. “A slice of pizza and a drink for less than two hundred yen?”

Ushiwaka nodded, though a little confused over Shouyou’s shock.

“This is the best thing about the whole town.”

Shouyou started sifting through his crumpled wad of cash and coins, but a hand suddenly slung itself over his shoulder.

A collection of coins were tossed onto the counter. “I’m covering for him, Ushiwaka.”

Shouyou swung his head around and found the baldest teenager he had ever seen standing several inches above him.

Ushiwaka’s face remained stony but gathered the coins. “Be nice to him.”

With that warning, the baldy grinned. “Of course we will.”

Still in the baldy’s grip, Shouyou was twisted away from the counter. He grabbed his fountain drink at the last possible second before allowing himself to be dragged to the corner of the shop by the baldy.

He belonged to the cluster of boys. Though there were three of them, excluding the baldy, four whole pizzas sat on their table. Or once whole pizzas. Most of them were silver plates glittering with grease—the wake of teenage boys’ hunger.

“Yuu, you were right! This is the guy that moved into Slaughterhouse!” the baldy shouted as he plopped Shouyou down into a seat at the edge of the table. He took up the seat right next to him.

“What?” was all Shouyou could manage to say. His money was still clenched in his fist, and he’d passed the fountain drink on the way over to the boys’ table.

“The name’s Tanaka,” the baldy said.

“Nishinoya,” another one said, jerking his thumb towards his chest as he spoke. His hair was all spiked up, and a blond streak ran through the center of his dark brown hair.

In a significantly quieter voice than the previous two, the next boy—man, Shouyou amended. He was a giant and had a scruff growing on his pronounced chin, so there was no way he could be the same age as Shouyou—said, “I’m Azumane.”

The last one was seated farthest from Shouyou but gave him the warmest smile. “I’m Ennoshita Chikara. Welcome to Lake Astra.”

“Thanks.” Shouyou started to get up from his seat. “I’m going to fill up my drink.”

The two loud ones reached for him. “Wait!”

Shouyou froze, mostly because their shouts shocked him.

“What?”

“You live in the Slaughterhouse,” Nishinoya said. “We want to hear about your ghost stories?”

Confusion was like a weight on Shouyou’s brow. He tilted his head to the side and asked, “What’s the Slaughterhouse? I haven’t seen any pigs around.”

Tanaka burst out laughing, but the others hushed him.

Ennoshita waved his hand around, as if physically brushing off what he said next.

“The Slaughterhouse is what we like to call the house a mile outside the city. Everyone has been talking about how people are moving in.”

“But why is it called the Slaughterhouse?”

“You mean you haven’t heard?” Nishinoya exclaimed.

“Fucked up things happen there, man,” Tanaka said, shaking his bald head. “Four people have died there since they built it, but I think there are more unconfirmed ones. Like that guy that went missing after the last kid died. The police refuse to admit that he was killed by the ghosts.”

“Because there are no ghosts,” Ennoshita said sternly.

“Well, let’s ask the kid that’s living there.” Tanaka turned eager eyes onto Shouyou. “Have you seen any ghosts since you’ve moved in?”

“I just moved in yesterday.”

“But have you seen anything?”

Shouyou was about to tell them no, but then he remembered the two figures he’d imagined. The tall one dwarfing the smaller. There in the mirror but gone without a trace.

His pause was evident, and Tanaka slammed his fist into the table. “He totally saw a ghost!”

“Come on guys, let’s not talk about this,” Azumane pleaded. “I want to eat in peace.”

“Hush,” Nishinoya hissed. He inched closer to Shouyou. “Tell us about it.”

Shouyou regretted taking off his sweatshirt after stepping into the pizza shop with Kenma because Tanaka lurched forward and grabbed Shouyou’s right hand. He shook his whole arm, all while shouting, “Look at these scratches! The ghosts totally did that to him.”

“No, they didn’t.” Shouyou snatched his arm back. “And I didn’t see anything.”

“But—”

“Tanaka, Noya, stop,” Ennoshita snapped. “You just dragged this guy over without knowing his name and harass him because of where he lives. He’s new here and you guys are doing a shitty job of portraying the people of Lake Astra.”

Shouyou was so relieved he could kiss the guy. But he wouldn’t. He wasn’t Shouyou’s type for starters.

“Thank you,” Shouyou said earnestly. “I’m going to grab a drink. Can I get any of you refills?”

“Nah, man, I’m getting you your drink.” Tanaka picked the drink out of Shouyou’s hand. “What do you want? And sorry for being an asshole. It’s just that I’m obsessed with ghost stories and the Slaughterhouse. That house makes Lake Astra cooler than any other mountain town.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, too,” Noya said. “Though I’m with Ryuu on this one. Both of us would be ghost hunters if our parents let us. We get a little crazy about it.”

Shouyou let out a sigh. “No, you guys are fine. I’m still not adjusted to life here so I’m kind of on edge.” And making it wore were all these rumors about his new house being home to more corpses than he felt comfortable. Yesterday, he’d learned that one person died there and felt nauseous. Now, he was being informed that there were four or more who called his home their location at death. He found himself wondering how the others had died, but the taste of pennies filled his mouth before he could get too imaginative.

“Can you grab me lemonade?” Shouyou asked.

“Sure thing.” Tanaka took off for the soda fountain.

“Are you going to Lake Astra High after winter break is over?” Azumane asked.

“Do you go there?” Shouyou gasped.

Azumane laughed and ran his fingers through his long hair. “Yeah. I’m a third year.”

Shouyou never would’ve thought that possible. He totally looked old enough to be in college and partying every weekend.

Shouyou shook off his surprise. “No, actually. My mom's gonna homeschool me.”

Azumane nodded. “That’s nice…”

“Hinata. Hinata Shouyou.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Hinata,” Ennoshita said. He reached across the table and handed Shouyou a napkin. “I wrote all of our numbers onto the napkin in case you ever need anything. Tanaka and Noya may bury you in ghost questions but they’re really reliable in tough situations. The same goes with Azumane and me.”

“Th-thank you,” Shouyou said, bowing his head as he took the napkin.

“No need to be so official,” Noya laughed. “But I’m kinda disappointed. I wanted you to go to our school so someone else can call me sempai.”

Shouyou smiled. “Sorry. I’ll go to your sports games.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Noya said, grinning.

“One lemonade ready,” Tanaka hollered before plopping Shouyou’s drink in front of him.

“Thanks! You didn’t have to pay for me earlier either.”

Tanaka rolled his eyes. “It’s 185 yen. I can cover that much.”

“We’re here every Monday night if you want to join us again.”

“Only if you tell us one ghost story each time you show up,” Noya said.

Ennoshita glared at him, and Noya raised his hands defensively. “I’m only asking for one.”

“I think that’s pretty fair,” Tanaka grumbled.

Ennoshita glanced at Shouyou. “Well, what do you think?”

Shouyou was in mid-sip of his lemonade—okay, he had to give it to Ushijima Pizzeria, they had great lemonade. He quickly swallowed before clearing his throat.

“I mean, if there’s anything creepy, I guess I can tell you guys about it.”

“Hell yeah!” Tanaka and Noya said in unison. They shot up from their seats and knocked fists.

“If there’s anything creepy,” Shouyou repeated, but the pair was too busy celebrating.

More for his sake than theirs, Shouyou wished nothing creepy would happen for the rest of his time at Lake Astra. Sure, he lived at the Slaughterhouse, but that didn’t mean he’d be condemned to horrific encounters with ghosts. Shouyou wouldn’t call himself a coward, but he wasn’t exactly willing to run into those figures from before. If they were actually anything other than his imagination—which they weren’t.

For the rest of the afternoon, Shouyou munched on his delicious Ushiwaka special, drowned four refills of lemonade and talked with the four boys. All of them were the same age as him except for Azumane, who was the only third year of the bunch. Despite being the oldest, he was tied with Ennoshita for being the quietest. Tanaka and Noya on the other hand could talk for hours, but most of the things they said made Shouyou laugh. They were all really cool guys, and for the first time since moving up to Lake Astra Shouyou felt comfortable and welcomed.

Shouyou was so absorbed by the others that when Kenma showed up in the pizza shop, it was like a shock.

“Kenma!” Shouyou called across the shop.

Kenma’s eyes locked onto Shouyou, and the boys joined his stare.

“How do you know Kenma?” Noya hissed.

“What?” Shouyou asked. He was still looking at Kenma.

Kenma wasn’t coming towards the group. He was standing by the door, waiting for Shouyou to meet him.

Shouyou started waving him over, but Tanaka barked, “Don’t call for Pudding Head!”

Shouyou would’ve laughed at the nickname if Tanaka had said it in a more jocular tone.

“What’s wrong with Kenma?” Shouyou asked.

“The kid’s creepy as hell,” Noya said quietly, even though Kenma was too far away to hear. “He goes to school with us but he rarely talks to anyone. Ryuu and I tried introducing ourselves at the entrance ceremony and he ignored us. And during lunch he walks into the woods and doesn’t come back until the bell rings.”

“Someone told me that he writes random Latin phrases in his notebook,” Tanaka added. “And he’s always drawing wolves and owls and crap. They’re actually pretty good drawings. I got a peek during math class last year. But they’re still weird.”

Shouyou slowly backed out of his seat. “Well, I came into town with him, so I’m walking back with him.”

To no one in particular, Ennoshita whispered, “He probably came in to visit Akaashi.”

“Who?” Shouyou asked.

“The town’s psychic,” Tanaka said, shortly followed by a laugh. “Ghosts I can believe, but psychics? Nah.”

Shouyou glanced at Kenma. He was still waiting for him by the door, his wide eyes fixated on Shouyou.

“I’m gonna go,” Shouyou said. He tucked the napkin with all their numbers on it into his pocket. “But, really, thanks for hanging out with me. You guys are pretty cool.”

Tanaka and Noya smiled wide at this.

“No problem,” Tanaka said. “Call us up whenever, especially if you have a good ghost story to tell.”

“Okay,” Shouyou laughed weakly.

As he walked off for Kenma, Noya hollered, “Remember, we’re here every Monday!”

Shouyou turned and waved goodbye to the quartet one last time before returning to Kenma’s side.

“Ready?” Kenma asked. No mentions of where he’d gone. Shouyou wondered if he really had visited a psychic.

“Yup!” Shouyou nodded. “If we stop somewhere I can get you the pork bun I promised.”

“You don’t need to do that.” Kenma reached for the door. “I just want to get home.”

“Alright.”

Outside, the clouds were a dreary gray. They loomed over the town ominously, and Shouyou shivered as he pulled his sweatshirt over his head.

“It’s a nice day out,” Kenma said to himself. Then he walked down the street to where Shouyou now knew was the dirt path leading him back home.

Before he could stop himself, Shouyou asked, “Did you know that people call my house the Slaughterhouse?”

Kenma nodded.

“Do you think it’s true?”

“If what’s true?”

“That the ghosts of the dead people are in my house?”

Shouyou had expected Kenma to disagree; he seemed like a sensible guy that rejected the notion of ghosts. But all he said was, “Who knows.”

With that, Shouyou fell silent, and the pair exited the town center of Lake Astra. Meanwhile, a young psychic's soft green eyes were following the movements of the town's newest, fire-haired teen through a square piece of glass. He had been requested to closely watch the boy in case he ran into any of Lake Astra's more dangerous folks--living or not.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so that concludes the exposition/boring crap. Sorry if you weren't entertained but trust me it picks up next chapter. for starters we get a lil kurohina smut ;) stay tuned and thanks for all the support!


	3. Once Upon a Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dream world= Shouyou present tense  
> reality= back to past tense  
> just thought to give you a forewarning in case you guys get confused. enjoy the lil bit of kurohina hot times ;)

“ _I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream_

_I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam_

_And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem_ ” – Lana Del Ray

* * *

It always starts the same. Shouyou’s in the clearing where he saw the black wolf, but there’s no trace of the creature or its owl companion. The whole clearing empty; it’s just him and the world.

Though no snow falls, the ground is thick with white fluff. That’s when he knows it’s a dream because the snow in Lake Astra lays on the floor solid and tough. When he and Natsu tried to make snow angels, he’d almost broken his back slamming into the layers of ice in his front yard.

But in his dream the snow’s like the softest down comforter on earth, and he doesn’t feel the cold bite into his skin when he sprawls out on its surface. He could fall asleep buried in the depths of snow and be at total peace.

His eyes do grow heavy, but he never sleeps. His weariness washes away when the young man appears from the forest.

Back in his hometown, Shouyou heard that the faces you see in dreams are all ones you’ve met before. Even when you think someone is a complete stranger in your dream, you’ve encountered them somewhere before, whether you consciously remember or not.

But Shouyou seriously doubts this statement because if he had seen this young man before, he never would’ve forgotten him.

Everything about him is dark. Except for his skin, which is unblemished and the color of fresh milk.

His hair is ebony and styled in a way that gives Shouyou the impression that he just woke up even though all of this is a dream. Shouyou wants to run his fingers through it to see if the bits that drooped over the young man’s narrow eyes could be pushed up.

And his eyes. Those don’t have a place on earth. Shouyou wants to parallel them to gold, but gold is a solid metal. These irises glow even in the waning light of the clearing, and they flicker with emotion: hunger, amusement, _desire_. Eyes with so much life within their depths couldn’t compare to the rigid surface of gold.

Like Shouyou, the young man doesn’t feel the cold because he’s dressed in a black short-sleeve shirt and dark denim pants. As he saunters across the clearing in Shouyou’s direction, a smirk spreads on his lip, taunting, admiring.

“Who are you?” Shouyou asks as he approaches.

He never responds, but his upper lip curls up, widening his smirk and revealing sharp canines underneath. But the daggered points of the young man’s teeth don’t scare Shouyou. He just finds himself being more and more captivated by him.

Shouyou sits up from the snow bed but doesn’t get to his feet. The young man is lean and tall, so when he finally stands above Shouyou, he looks like a giant.

“What do you want?” Shouyou tries.

The young man’s beautiful eyes light up at this question, but he says nothing. He instead lowers himself to his knees so that he’s kneeling between Shouyou’s legs.

He’s so close Shouyou can feel the heat of his breaths. It’s funny—the cold can’t touch him but every other sensation in his dream is hypersensitive.

Neither Shouyou nor the young man speaks as their heads lean closer together—almost as if on instinct; their breaths meddling together in visible plumes of hot air seconds before their lips meet.

The last time Shouyou kissed someone, it had been at the Hinata going away party. He’d invited his friends over, and that included the first year that had been making gooey-eyes at Shouyou the whole school year. Shouyou had been touched that someone actually liked him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to return the first year’s sincere affections. It wouldn’t have been fair if he played with a kid’s heart like that.

But the kid didn’t give up even when Shouyou kindly shot him down in the spring, and at the party he had cornered Shouyou on his way to the bathroom. He had tried confessing again, and for a second time, Shouyou politely told him that he was only interested in being friends.

The first year accepted the rejection but begged for one kiss since he wouldn’t see Shouyou for a long time. Shouyou, not having any amorous emotions for his kouhai, allowed one kiss. It had been sloppy but quick, one of the worst kisses Shouyou had experienced.

Now, in this beautiful dream, Shouyou knows he’ll never meet someone whose lips melt into his own so perfectly. He almost doesn’t want to close his eyes in fear of losing the image of the handsome guy kissing him, but he does anyway so he can savor the taste of the other’s lips. He smells of pine needle and the ground after the rain, and the combination of these scents has Shouyou sighing.

The young man leans into Shouyou to deepen the kiss, and Shouyou follows the movement, descending back down into the blanket of snow until he’s lying down and the young man is bracing himself over Shouyou.

He pries Shouyou’s mouth open, and when their tongues touch, Shouyou swears there’s electricity rushing through his veins. He moans against the other’s mouth and wraps his arms around his back, yanking him closer, wanting more of this.

A purr leaves the young man’s throat, and he settles one of his hands beneath the hem of Shouyou’s flannel, right against his abs. His hands are as hot as his mouth, and they make Shouyou shudder.

As their kisses grow more feverish and insistent, the young man begins to explore Shouyou’s torso. The palm of his hand is large and comforting but not exactly soft. Shouyou can’t call it calloused or leathery. It’s something else entirely, but he loves the feel of it roving over the slender plane of his chest.

The young man’s mouth leaves Shouyou’s, and Shouyou isn’t ashamed when he says, “W-Wait.”

The young man gives him a toothy grin—when they’re making out Shouyou doesn’t even feel the sharp teeth—and sits up. He pulls his hand from Shouyou’s skin and uses it to unbutton his flannel from the bottom up.

When the lowest button comes undone, he leans down and presses burning lips against the slip of Shouyou’s skin he revealed in removing the button. Shouyou sucks in a breath, and the young man’s golden eyes flick up to meet his. His lips quirk and he ducks his head back down, trailing kisses as each button is unhooked.

At the last button, he touches his lips against Shouyou’s sternum before wandering up to his throat. He grazes his pointed teeth along Shouyou’s Adam’s apple, but it doesn’t hurt.

The young man begins sucking on the spot just below Shouyou’s ear, and Shouyou’s thankful he is lying down. Even on the ground, his knees are weak.

Against the erotic sounds of the young man leaving a hickey on his skin, Shouyou mindlessly moans, “Ah, w-wolf.”

The young man goes rigid, and he lifts his head to meet Shouyou’s wide, panicky eyes.

Shouyou feels his cheeks burn red under the other’s inquisitive stare.

“I, uh,” Shouyou takes an unsteady breath. “You remind me of this wolf I once saw.”

The young man lifts his eyebrow, the one that isn’t shielded by his hair, and Shouyou wants to suffocate himself with snow. He should teach a class: how to let a guy know that everything about him turns you on 101. First step: compare him to a fucking wolf as he gives you a hickey. Because, you know, there’s nothing hotter than having a wolf stick its tongue down your throat.

Shouyou’s ready for the dream to collapse due to his sheer embarrassment, but the guy smiles wickedly and returns his mouth to Shouyou’s, kissing him with bruising force now. While his lips are busy making Shouyou feel like he’s on ecstasy, his hands spread the fabric of Shouyou’s unbuttoned flannel so his whole chest is displayed.

Shouyou feels a growl ripple from the back of the young man’s throat. The noise makes Shouyou’s eyes flutter close, and he digs his nails into the other’s back.

He wants more; he wants this roguish guy to peel each item of clothing from his skin until the only thing left is their naked bodies pressing together and the snow on his back.

For this guy—real or not—Shouyou will gladly turn over his virginity.

The young man ducks back down to Shouyou’s neck—to the same place he had been marking earlier.

“More,” Shouyou begs aloud. His voice is barely above a whisper.

Shouyou swears the guy _barks_ with laughter, but the sound is gone in a second. The hand hovering against his chest slowly slides down in the direction of Shouyou’s neglected lower half. Shouyou almost whimpers from the anticipation.

The wolfish guy is finally dipping his hand under the waistline of Shouyou’s sweatpants when—

* * *

 

“NII-CHAN!”

Shouyou jolted from his bed and found his little sister standing in the doorframe with her hands on her hips.

“Shit,” Shouyou swore, bunching his sheets over his hips to cover his boner. He didn’t need to explain _that_ to Natsu when she was still a kid. And a girl. His mom was definitely getting the spotlight when it came to the puberty talk with Natsu.

Natsu dropped her jaw at Shouyou’s use of profanity, and he wanted to swear all over again. She wouldn’t rat him out to their mom, but he didn’t like saying those kinds of things around her. Natsu’s innocence and childish ignorance was endearing and he didn’t want to be the one to taint it. Hell, he didn’t want anyone to taint it.

“Natsu, I’m so sorry,” Shouyou began. “You scared me.”

Natsu dropped her hands from her hips and started rocking back and forth on her feet. “Were you having a nightmare?”

_No_ , Shouyou thought. _Waking up was the nightmare._

“I can’t remember,” Shouyou said, scratching the back of his head. “I think you’re just too scary.”

Natsu’s eyes glimmered. “Ha! I scared nii-chan.”

Shouyou laughed at her joy until remembering that she had been awfully loud in startling him out of his dream.

“Do you need something?” Shouyou asked.

Natsu nodded her head, tossing her curly orange locks up and down. “Mom is making us breakfast.”

Shouyou’s lower half had finally settled down, so he shoved off his blankets and started to slide off his bed. “I’ll go help her.”

“No, no,” Natsu urged. “She said she doesn’t need help.”

“Then why did you wake me up?”

“I want you to play with me and my friends, nii-chan.”

Shouyou stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “Your friends?”

“Yeah! I’ve made a lot of friends in this house. They really want to meet you.”

Though all the windows in Shouyou’s room were closed, he felt a chill rush down his spine. Goosebumps appeared along his bare chest.

Shouyou did a double take. He had worn a soft flannel to bed, buttoned up to his throat. But now, every single one of its buttons was undone, revealing his whole torso to Natsu.

Natsu giggled and rubbed her hand over her own stomach. “I think I have a bigger tummy than nii-chan’s.”

Shouyou tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. Without a word, he sprinted past his sister and turned the corner for the bathroom.

“Nii-chan?” Natsu called after him, the confusion apparent in her voice.

“Hold on a second!” he hollered over his shoulder. “I just need to use the bathroom.”

He pivoted into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. He was panting, and it wasn’t because the sprint had worn him out.

He slowly approached the mirror, dreading what its reflection would reveal. He got as close to the mirror as physically possible before lifting his jaw high into the air.

At first he saw nothing—just the couple of freckles that dotted his throat. He sighed in relief and began dropping his head, but then he saw a different shade of color darkening the tan of his skin.

He lurched across the counter, his nose almost touching the mirror’s surface now.

There. Where he had dreamed of the young man’s lips sucking on his skin—the spot directly under his left ear—was the slightest hint of a bruise. It was barely there, but at the same time, it was a striking sight on his otherwise monochromatic skin.

“What the fuck,” were the only words he could manage.

A hard knock slammed against the bathroom door, and Shouyou jumped into the ceiling.

“Nii-chan,” Natsu called from the other side. He didn’t think she could knock that hard. “Yamaguchi-chan just told me that you shouldn’t freak out. I don’t know what he means, but he said that the dreams aren’t scary. It means your safe.”

Shouyou wrenched open the door and crouched down so he was eye-level with Natsu. It was easier to talk when they were eye-level, and that meant either he crouched or she jumped into his arms. “Who’s Yamaguchi-chan?”

“One of my friends.” Natsu reached out her hand and set it on Shouyou’s forehead. “Nii-chan, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said in a voice that made it obvious that he wasn’t. He started to button up his flannel, but his hands were shaking.

“Play with me and my friends,” she urged. “It’ll make you feel better. They’re really nice and want to meet you.”

“And who exactly are your friends?”

“There’s three of them.” She removed her hand from Shouyou’s forehead to hold up three fingers. “Suga-chan, Yachi-chan, and Yamaguchi-chan. They say there are more around but they’re either shy or not friendly. They make sure the not so friendly ones stay away from me and you.”

“The not so friendly what?”

Natsu shrugged her tiny shoulders. “They don’t tell me. All they say is that they don’t have fun the same way we do, and I wouldn’t like how they have fun. So I play with them instead!”

Shouyou kept telling himself that Natsu’s friends were imaginary ones. She had never made up imaginary friends back at their old home, but maybe in the isolation of Lake Astra, she had forged them for the first time. It made sense.

So Shouyou decided to entertain her, though his gut was twisted into a thick knot. He still couldn’t fathom the bruise’s appearance on his neck or the state of his flannel. He had definitely been dreaming. How else could he have gotten to the clearing if it weren’t in his subconscious? Plus, his flannel was as dry as it had been when he had first fallen asleep, and if he’d really been in snow, it would’ve been damp.

“Introduce me to your friends.”

“Yay!” She seized his hand and dragged him out of the bathroom. He thought she’d lead him all the way down to her room or the large play room next to it, but she stopped just outside the hallway.

She pointed down the hallway. “The tall, freckly one is Yamaguchi-chan.”

Shouyou waited for her to go on, but she nudged him with her elbow. “Wave back to him,” she hissed.

Shouyou laughed nervously but listened to her. He waved his hand in greeting, but there was still no one standing in front of them—just a long, empty hallway. He was entirely grateful for that.

“Next is Yachi-chan. She’s the only girl but she’s super nice.”

Shouyou waved again.

“And finally is Suga-chan. See that mole under his eye? He says he was born with it. Isn’t that cool?”

“Oh, definitely.”

Shouyou could physically feel his anxiety ebbing. That knot in his stomach loosened, and he no longer felt like he was ready to sprint all the way to Kenma’s house in search of comfort. Though after hearing the town boys’ rumors about him he wasn’t sure if Kenma was the right person to run to when everything got too…weird.

Before Natsu could elaborate on her imaginary friends, their mom’s voice hollered from downstairs.

“Natsu! Shouyou! Breakfast!”

While Shouyou smiled at the prospective meal, Natsu pouted.

“Aw, I wanted nii-chan to get to know my friends.”

“Friends later, food first,” he said, skipping ahead for the staircase.

Shouyou was just leaving the hallway when he felt a pressure weigh down his shoulder. The grip of the pressure was oddly similar to a hand.

Shouyou writhed under the grasp, but when he spun his head to find the hand’s owner, he saw nothing. No hand, no body—just air.

Natsu was still several steps behind him, but she said, “That’s Yamaguchi-chan. He’s trying to talk to you about your dream.”

“Ah, really.” Shouyou’s face drained of color. That hand had felt too real. “Too bad I have breakfast. Bye.”

He sprinted faster than was safe down the stairs and into the kitchen.

His mom greeted him with a smile. “Morning, Shouyou.”

“M-morning,” he huffed.

She raised an eyebrow. “Did you sleep alright?”

He honestly had no clue how to answer that question. He had slept, he had dreamt—had it been a dream? Of course it had, but then why was there the beginnings of a hickey on his neck?—but standing in his kitchen, he was exhausted.

“I don’t know.” He plopped down into his seat. “Ask me after breakfast.”

She chuckled and piled four slices of toast, two eggs, and a hunk of hash browns onto his plate. “Eat lots. We’re going into town today.”

Shouyou was already shoveling down the hot, delicious food. He opened his full mouth to ask a question, but his mom gave him a glare that told him to finish chewing before he spoke.

After he swallowed, he asked, “Why are we going into town?”

“There’s a winter festival going on today. I thought it would be fun if we all went. Plus, there’s a night hike, and I’ve been meaning to get out onto the trails for inspiration.”

“Sounds fun,” he said before stuffing his face again.

“I don’t want to go.”

Shouyou hadn’t even heard Natsu come down the stairs, but there she was, sitting in the seat right next to Shouyou.

“Natsu, we’re going as a family,” his mom said sternly.

“But my friends told me I shouldn’t go.”

His mom rolled her eyes in Shouyou’s direction. She knew about the imaginaryfriends too, and she obviously thought they were a big hoax.

“It’ll be fun,” his mom cooed. “I’ll buy you chocolate-covered pretzels.”

Anything chocolatey was Natsu’s weakness, and she caved in within a second.

“Alright!”

His mom smiled in relief. “Then eat up you two. I’m going upstairs to get ready.”

“Did you eat?” Shouyou asked.

“I munched while I cooked.” She patted him on the shoulder and then kissed Natsu on the top of her head. “Wash your plates after you’re done, and don’t break any, Shouyou.”

“I won’t,” he called, feeling the scratches on his arm itch as his mom thudded up the stairs.

Shouyou returned to his meal, but before Natsu touched her food, she said, “We should be extra safe at the winter festival?”

“Why?” Shouyou got out past the hash browns.

“Yamaguchi-chan went on a night hike during the town’s Autumn Equinox, and he said that’s when things started going bad. Lucky for us, he says his friends outside the house will watch out for us.”

The next time Shouyou swallowed, he had to get the food past the lump forming in his throat. “You have more friends outside the house?”

“They’re more of the Yamaguchi’s friends, but I see one every morning. It’s this huge owl with puffed out feathers and bright eyes. He always leaves pinecones on my window sill in the morning.”

Shouyou thought of the owl from the clearing. His eggs and toast were starting to taste less delicious and more like rubber.

“Yamaguchi also said that the black wolf will take special care of you. So if you see anything scary tonight, don’t worry! The wolf will make sure you’re safe.”

While Shouyou lost all ability to enjoy the meal, Natsu finally started to dig in.

She knew about the owl and the black wolf even though she hadn’t seen either of them at the clearing. _How_?

Shouyou got up. “I’m full.”

“You barely ate one plate,” Natsu said. His minimum was usually three.

“Sick to my stomach.” That wasn’t a lie. “I’m going upstairs to get ready and listen to some music.”

“But what about my friends?” Natsu asked. “They want to get to know you more.”

“Tell them I’m busy.” He stalked off to the kitchen, washed his plate without having any outside force shatter it, and made his way up the stairs without saying another word to his sister.

When he reached his room, he found his phone and headphones. He forced them on and turned the volume up to as loud as possible without ruining his eardrums.

He hit shuffle, and the first song to come up was “Heads Will Roll”. Though he was a fan of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the song title wasn’t that settling, considering the atmosphere. He moved onto the next song, finding “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure much more acceptable. It actually kept him from doing the exact opposite of what the song said. But he didn’t know how much longer he could keep his cool before he really lost it. If he felt one more presence lingering around him—grabbing his shoulder or breaking plates—he was going to fall to the floor in tears.

He entertained the thought of sneaking back into bed and playing the sick card on the winter festival, but he couldn’t do that when his mom was so excited about it. He’d go and hopefully find Tanaka, Noya, and the rest to hang out with. He doubted Kenma would go out on an especially crowded day. Maybe he could grab a slice of Ushiwaka’s special. That had been amazing.

Also, if he went back to sleep, there was the possibility of him having another dream of the young man. After waking up in the state he did, he wasn’t sure if another appearance of the guy would comfort him or set his nerves at an all-time high.

Either way, he decided to go along with his mom’s plans or die trying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "die trying" ha ha ha...

**Author's Note:**

> the first two chapters or so are going to be build-up/laying the foundation so please bear with me (or not, it's up to you) I actually made an outline for this and I never do that for fics so let's hope that actually pays off


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